title: Reporting of conflicts of interest in meta-analyses of trials of pharmacological treatments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disclosure of conflicts of interest (COIs) from pharmaceutical industry study funding and author-industry financial relationships is sometimes recommended for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in biomedical journals. Authors of meta-analyses, however, are not required to report COIs disclosed in original reports of included RCTs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether meta-analyses of pharmacological treatments published in high-impact biomedical journals report COIs disclosed in included RCTs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected the 3 most recent meta-analyses of patented pharmacological treatments published January 2009 through October 2009 in each general medicine journal with an impact factor of at least 10; in high-impact journals in each of the 5 specialty medicine areas with the greatest 2008 global therapeutic sales (oncology, cardiology, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, and gastroenterology); and in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two investigators independently extracted data on disclosed study funding, author-industry financial ties, and author employment from each meta-analysis, from RCTs included in each meta-analysis, and on whether meta-analyses reported disclosed COIs of included RCTs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 29 meta-analyses reviewed, which included 509 RCTs, only 2 meta-analyses (7%) reported RCT funding sources; and 0 reported RCT author-industry ties or employment by the pharmaceutical industry. Of 318 meta-analyzed RCTs that reported funding sources, 219 (69%) were industry funded; and 91 of 132 (69%) that reported author financial disclosures had 1 or more authors with pharmaceutical industry financial ties. In 7 of the 29 meta-analyses reviewed, 100% of included RCTs had at least 1 form of disclosed COI (pharmaceutical industry funding, author-industry financial ties, or employment), yet only 1 of these 7 meta-analyses reported RCT funding sources, and 0 reported RCT author-industry ties or employment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among a group of meta-analyses of pharmacological treatments published in high-impact biomedical journals, information concerning primary study funding and author COIs for the included RCTs were only rarely reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roseman
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Milette
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Bero
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Coyne
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lexchin
authors.forename: Erick H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Brett D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Thombs
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest; D030881:Disclosure; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics; D004358:Drug Therapy; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D012109:Research Support as Topic